Chapter 6.3 Some outdoor recreation?

Mikola, what kind of headless riders are passing us by?

Well, either get out of the way, or shift the braid onto your other shoulder!

The air throughout Equestria is not polluted by the exhaust of cars and factories, but on Apple Farm it is saturated with the sweet aroma of apples when you walk along the orderly lines of trees lined up like soldiers in a parade. On days like these, even lazy people like me can start working, but today I was simply invited to stop by the farm, try apple pie and share the news.

- I had nine lives, but I lost all of them,

And I've been searching in the night

And I've been searching in the rain

I tried to find them, but they failed... (The Lost Song)

"Hello, Des, are you all in the clouds?

Opening my eyes, I met Applejack's gaze. The industrious filly was busy with work as always, and now two baskets of apples were attached to her back. Taking one off the farmer's back, I carried it in my hands, following the pony towards the house."Are you still working like a bee?"

"well, yes, someone stopped showing up in Ponyville and things immediately went downhill on the farm. Applejack joked, making me look back at the gardens and apple fields.

"So I was lucky not to see the farm in its prime? The reciprocal hairpin made the filly snort and poke my hoof.

- Wisecracking.

- Position obliges.

With such a makar, chatting lazily, we reached the very house. The oldest representative of the family was not at home, and the younger sister AJ had already gone to a meeting of her club. I was increasingly struck by the thought that Markfinders were a form of terrorist organization engaged in spreading chaos on an industrial scale. In principle, they always succeeded; most often they exceeded their plans by five hundred percent. This did not lead them to receive tagsbut they always managed to dilute the sometimes boring life of the town.

- Hello. It rang out behind my back. Oh, here comes Big Mac, the heavy artillery of this working-class family. Good-natured, taciturn and deceptively slow, he always managed to keep up with all his work on the farm, highlighting my laziness with his hard work and thoroughness compared to the rest of the farm residents. However, I have never done what he did, a person is unlikely to plow a field or shake apples as efficiently as a pony, but working with a screwdriver or hammer is always welcome.

"And you shall not be sick", I chuckled, slamming my fist into my outstretched hoof, Are we ploughing everything for the benefit of the family and the farm?

- Yep. Let's go, lunch is ready.

"And who cooked?" I asked, lowering the apple basket next to the house, where several of the same were already standing.

"I, worker," snorted the fillydropping off your load and entering the house first.

"Well, let's check out what the Great and Working AJ has in store for us," the quiet chuckle of Big Mac, who appreciated the parody of one boastful sorceress, was drowned out by the loud "I hear everything!" from the kitchen. Chuckling and looking at each other, we went inside. The smell of food was in the air, and as much as I didn't like baked apples, I still couldn't help but try what this orange cooker was making.

Quickly rinsing their hands and hooves, the male part of the group settled down at the table, looking with hungry eyes at the vegetable soup, salads made from the same vegetables and fruits, as well as caramel apples as dessert. It cannot be said that there was monotonous food on the farm - there was always some variety, and there was no need to talk about portion volumes. By the way, AJ was one of Twilight's first friendswho was concerned about the availability of dishes and cutlery suitable for me.

"Guest tries first." Applejack said, awaiting the verdict on her cooking with a certain fear of the cook. But, as always, the food turned out to be tasty and nutritious. Unlike the Big Mac, I did not work in the fields, and then I ordered myself to stop only after the second swept bowl of soup and take a break from stuffing my belly. However, earthly ponies have always loved to eat - both as creatures whose metabolism required more energy, and as creatures that do everything with the help of physical force.

"Phew," I leaned back in my chair, catching my breath. "Where's Granny Smith, she doesn't seem to really like traveling?

"Aah, she decided to visit her family, Red Delicious picked her up and they left last night. I'm not sure you know who it is, but overall there's almost no work right nowthat's why we have a lot of free time and we decided that it's worth inviting you, otherwise some people, I won't point with their hooves, completely forgot about their friends for... She twirled her hoof up, trying to find words. - ... Canterlot's high politics and scandals.

"Scandals?", I was surprised, frantically remembering what might have leaked to the public. Someday we will tell everything to the Guardians, but now was clearly not the time.

"well, yes, when some idiot from the Royal Guard tried to stop you at the entrance to the castle, when you and Twilight were heading there to get some paperwork. As I understand it, someone from that guard let it slip a couple of days later, and the capital discussed it for five days, then this news was heard here. You know, you could count your teeth for something like this, as the residents of our town think.And you just can say you warned them. Applejack laughed. - I would definitely like to look at the faces of these unicorns.

Believe me, you wouldn't see anything new there. I smiled back. - I don't know why, but the same Rarity or Twilight think before they say it.

'Cause they didn't grow up around snobs. Applejack crunched thoughtfully with a juicy apple, looking out the window. - They haven't dragged you to high society yet. My friends and I had to visit there a couple of times, once we even received tickets to a big ball from Princess Celestia. Honestly, it would be better not to go.

The filly made a spectacular facehoof, almost knocking off her hat, which she probably only took off in the shower or before bed. Returning to the dishes placed on the table, we paid tribute to the food for some time, after which we helped the hostess wash the dishes and went outside.

- So,what are your plans for the rest of the day? Jogging or some kind of game?

"With full bellies?" AJ, you definitely want to leave Equestria without the last person, first you feed her for slaughter, and then you offer to run. I suggest you lie in the haystack you left in the field. And then we'll think about something more active.

"Yep!" confirmed Mackintosh, who had also overdone the first course and now resembled a steam locomotive in his leisurely and imposing nature. However, this did not negate his thoroughness in all matters, since at that very second he returned to the house and began to thunder with something glass. You could swear that he was collecting bottles of water or cider in a small basket. While he was gone, Applejack turned to me.

- By the way. On the theme of unicorns. What do you think about Twilight?

- Mmm... What should we think about her? She's a great pony and treats me well.- Hmmm. Fine. You should take a closer look, handsome. The filly winked at me. - It seems to me that she doesn't take her eyes off you when you're nearby. Especially when you sang in the library yesterday.

"Eh, Twilight, here you are, as they say in Russian, "spalilas", it's good that I try not to overdo it with hugs and so on."

All this time, while I was thinking, Applejack was looking at me.

"I don't think you're right.". I'm just a completely different creature, of course she will be interested.

At this time, Mack left the house with two bags on his back.

"think about it", the filly left briefly, changing the subject of conversation, as soon as her brother approached her.

Having reached the desired haystack, everyone fell on it in unison, mercilessly quarreling over the weeds that got behind the collar, it came from the person's side, or because of the same weeds that got into the eye, this was already heard from the pony.Finally, sitting on my back, I watched as AJ tried to compact the area of the stack to my right, jumping funny in place, after which, without calculating the landing site, she suddenly collapsed on me and knocked all the air out of my lungs.

- Khhhhh... - I squeaked, trying to inhale, after which I lifted the pony and laid it on my back next to me. - Calm down already, AJ, you may not be heavy, but you almost hit me with your hooves. Either aim better or jump less.

Looking at the sky, I met the gaze of Mackintosh, who somehow pinned himself on the top of the stack without pushing it under him, and now looked down with a smile.

- Hey! How do you even lie there? You weigh more than other ponies, but you hardly crushed the hay.

Showing his tongue with a cunning look, the stallion turned over on his back and inhaled loudly.

"Well, he won't say how he did it, right, Big Mac?

- Yep."What if I get up?"

- Knope. "Nothing will lift you up now," the red pony laughed, stretching and stretching his legs.

Looking up skeptically, I silently pointed to the hat, then to Mac. Pulling it off my head, the pony handed me the headdress. There was no need to even throw a hat - the length of the hand was just enough for a good swing and a blow to the head with a hat.

- Hey! Turning over indignantly on his stomach, he looked down with such an expression of surprise on his face that it was no longer possible to keep the laughter inside. Judging by the fact that he turned towards the bags, McIntosh clearly decided to take revenge.

"Grab a bottle of water from him", I whispered to Applejack, making her look at me in bewilderment.

"And how do you imagine it?" I'm a little shorter than you, and my legs aren't that long. The filly answered quietly, listening to her brother's fuss.

"Fuck question." Once... Two... Three! At that moment,when the stallion's head reappeared above us with a bottle of water in his front hooves, I quickly lifted AJ above his head so that she could snatch the water and lower it into the hay.

"Yes, thank you, brother, we just wanted to freshen up.". The laughter of three vacationers hovered in the air for another five minutes until we finally calmed down.

"hey, Des", the filly's voice brought me out of the half-asleep.

- M?

"My hat."

"Is there something wrong with her?

"She's on your head." The skeptic tone of the filly made me smile.

"Well, that means she's doing great. I moved it over my face to hide my smile, although I immediately raised my hat back. - She's just like her mistress.

"Working, unkempt, and unrefined?"

Looking reproachfully at my interlocutor, I lightly clicked the pony on the tip of my nose.

- No, useful, nothing superfluous. And, by the way, very sweet. Covering your eyes from the rays of the sinking sunI felt Applejack turn over on her stomach and stand on her feet.

"Are you sure you said the last thing about me? The hat was going everywhere else.

Realizing that, unlike the already snoring Mac, they wouldn't let me take a nap, I looked at the filly and, stretching out my hand, met her mane on her head, trying not to touch the part that she was always grabbing with an elastic band.

"Moreover, it applies more to you than to the hat. And no, I won't give you the hat. For now," I winked at the pony, after which I stretched with pleasure, making myself comfortable on the hay bed.

"you shoot it so rarely, and I always wanted to look at you without it.".

"So, how's the view?" The farmer was sarcastic, copying Rainbow Dash's proud heraldic pose.

"Excellent", I said earnestly "Certainly, this cowboy hat has become part of your image, but don't forget the other side of the coin."I mean?" the pony looked at me incomprehensibly, making me remember that they used this expression a little differently. However, lately I have been constantly carrying two funny coins with me, which I did not show to anyone. Having taken out the one I needed, I showed it to Applejack.

It depicted Princess Luna standing against the backdrop of a night star surrounded by stars, rays of moonlight and starlight peeking out from behind the open wings of the alicorn. Allowing the filly to admire the drawing, I turned the coin. Against the background of a black sky with a lonely moon stood a proud Nightmer Moon in battle attire, her fangs and burning eyes stood out against the background of black, it seemed that she was ready to rush into the attack. After waiting for the usual reaction of all the ponies - a shudder and an unconscious desire to move away, I tossed a coin and caught it in the air."Which of these princesses do I respect?

"Certainly, Princess Luna!" replied Applejack with conviction, making me slowly shake my head.

- Nightmere Moon is the part inseparable from the moon when the resentment and pride of the alicorn led to war. I respect her as much as I respect Princess Luna. What am I getting at. If you accept one part of someone and you don't like the other part of him, I'm sorry, but you don't accept this che... pony in general. Well, here it is... - I drawled thoughtfully, rotating the coin. - Your lifestyle and behavior of a working pony is very good, but sometimes you should remember the effectiveness behind efficiency. That is, pay attention to yourself as a young filly.

"You're kidding all the jokes, partner, if you need a beautiful view, contact Rarity.".

"Why is that?" I remember very well your photos at the presentation of costumes for the Grand Galloping Gala, like this?.. I must say,that you look very impressive. And in that dress, and in general. So stop hitting your charming head with all sorts of nonsense and enjoy...

I looked at the sky.

- ... in the evening.

- Mhm... - came over us. - I see you are not sleeping.

Mackintosh's sleepy face appeared above us, then he dived somewhere to the side, and after a couple of seconds the basket of cider carefully sank into my hands.

"You seemed to be arguing that you could outdrink the pony?"

"I take it you've decided to prove otherwise?" with these words, I pulled a bottle of strong cider out of the basket and pulled out the cork. Sniffing the smell of cider, he nodded with satisfaction: Mac decided not to waste his time on something weak and packed the basket with quite strong cider. Of course, I would prefer something more familiar, but it seems that I will have to cook it myself if I remember how to make something stronger than wine."Health to you, Applejack!" I saluted her with a bottle and fell to her neck.

"Why my health?" The filly asked, listening with displeasure to the double gurgling of emptied bottles.

"Because you have to carry the winner and the loser home," Big Mac and I burst out laughing, clinking bottles.

"Don't be afraid," I winked at the farmer. "So be it, I'll help you drag your brother, but you'll have to leave me for the night.".

"You'll have to stay that way and that way, because you'll lose," my opponent chuckled contentedly, opening the second bottle. Shrugging my shoulders, I followed suit and then sat up straight, allowing Applejack to sit on his lower legs. With a sad look, the filly watched the destruction of alcohol. After the third bottle of cider, Mac was already trying to sing, fortunately Applejack and I tried to persuade him not to do this, but to continue the competition.On the fourth bottle he began to feel bad, but he clearly tried to look great. I preferred to remain silent, because I didn't want to blurt out something wrong. It's not worth expressing other people's secrets out loud to anyone, but to me. In principle, the competition could be considered won, and although the world before my eyes no longer looked so clear, I tried to focus on the details - one of the techniques of such competitions. Judging by how drunk the stallion was, all I had to do was finish him off to the point of cutting him off.

'Yo, M-igh-mac! Maybe you jump a little, the alcohol will disappear and we will continue?

What's funny is that he followed my advice, and after a short run he fell into the fifth bottle. Alas, my calculations turned out to be correct, and my opponent passed out halfway through the bottle, collapsing into the hay. With a smile, I slowly finished the fifth, winning bottle, after which I rolled out of the stackinhaling night air.

"damn, it's already night..." I hiccupped. - AJ, can I have a few words with you?

"What do you think, you are our winner?" the face of the pony appeared in front of me.

"I'll try briefly before I start talking nonsense.". Bring some cold water, activated charcoal, you seemed to have something like that, and... Um, you don't have any meat. And bread. I need to get myself in order and then drag this carcass home. And hurry up, please. Stop. Coal is late, just water and bread.

"O-okay..." the filly sped off toward the house with those words.

"Eh, Mac, there's strength - don't you need intelligence?" I laughed into the void. - Who drinks like that? I would be in John...

Hastily holding my mouth, I looked around. This is definitely not worth saying. For the rest of the time I looked at the ground, struggling with drowsiness. The clatter of hooves rang out in the night and Applejack appeared in front of me with a large bottle of well water and a piece of bread.

- So,now we will regain the locks. I hiccupped again, opening the bottle and touching the neck. A couple of sips of cold water and my brain remembered my work, after which I slowly knelt down and handed over a bottle of pony.

"Lay on your head, all of it.".

Deciding not to argue with the drunk, she complied with the request exactly.

- Stage three... Um... Dear and adored AJ, I'm literally wow for that tree, I'll be there soon.

Taking the rest of the water, I slowly reached the trees and cleaned my stomach with a couple of simple manipulations. On the way back, I managed to rinse my mouth and finish the remaining water. The intoxication had not yet gone away, but I already felt my body better, so I quickly threw a couple of pieces of bread into my mouth and straightened up.

"It will do for the first time.". Are there any drags?

"Looking into the water. The farmer snorted, pointing to the object she was looking for, which I did not notice at first. Having loaded the loser's carcass there,with some difficulty we brought him home and loaded him onto the bed. No longer remembering how, he reached some room and collapsed on the bed... The last thing I remember was someone's sigh.

***

The roosters on the farm found a new enemy when they woke me up at dawn. However, I fell asleep again without opening my eyes. The next awakening was later. Humming head, dry mouth, dizziness and nausea. At least I understand how pregnant women feel - this is when every movement occurs slowly and with alignment, and the stomach is happy to part with its contents.

"So... I'm lying on a soft bed. Not bad already. My head hurts, but not so much. I'm lying in my clothes. Okay... I understand this is Apple Farm. Oh, exactly... Mackintosh competition. Damn... My head hurts. Infection, yes I, yes I'll drink too much... I wonder what kind of soft I even hug is this?.."

Thoughts flowed slowly and sluggishly. Opening my eyes slightly, I glanced sideways at the light mane and closed my eyes again. "To the mane???" The eyes opened instantly, looking around Applejack's room and her ownerher back pressed against me and quietly snoring in the ring of my hands. Apparently, she was not so weak in dragging Mac home, albeit with my help. Her cowboy hat was hanging on a chair, and her light mane, not caught by an elastic band at the tips, lay on the pillow and partly on me. Hardly anyone had seen Applejack like this, she looked simply unrealistically cute and attractive with her natural beauty, they were somewhat similar to Fluttershy, even in character, which was not immediately noticeable even to the pony themselves. Suddenly the filly began to rush around restlessly in her sleep, muttering something incomprehensible, tears appeared in her eyes. Pinning the twitching pony to me, I began to stroke it, quietly whispering soothing words, like a small foal. After some time, she calmed down and relaxed, again switching to quiet snoring. For a while I continued to stroke her manejust enjoying the sensations themselves, when suddenly she suddenly opened her eyes, as if something had pushed her to wake up.

We looked into each other's eyes for a couple of seconds, after which her face quickly turned red, as if someone had poured boiling water inside.

"Good morning." I said serenely, trying to speak to the side so as not to injure the pony with the breath of five bottles of cider.

- A-Yeah... I am it... I just lay down and...

- Calm down. I winced my head from careless movement. - No one encroached on anyone's honor. You - out of your honesty and lack of desire, I - due to the inability to do this due to the fact that your brother decided to show everyone that he is strong enough to outdrink a person. Therefore, be kind, calm down and return your usual complexion.

With these words, I buried my face in her mane, causing the ponies to hiccup nervouslyalthough I just wanted to stop moving my head so as not to feel the sound of the alarm in my skull.

"could you move away?

- "I am the sickest person in the world." I muttered, making no attempt to turn my head.

"You are the only person in the world!" Applejack snorted, even forgetting about the delicate situation for a while.

"I have the right to say whatever I want about myself - everything will be true.". By the way, has Apple Bloom already visited us or gone for a walk in the morning?

Judging by the way the filly jerked, a similar thought came to her only now. With an expression of horror on her face, she turned out of my hands like a snake and flew out of the room, forgetting to grab her hat and elastic band. After some time, she returned with a calmer expression on her face.

"She left early in the morning for a picnic with friends and apologized for taking groceries without permission, according to the note.So she didn't go into the room. Phew...

"Yeah, phew..." I sat down on the bed with these words, clenching my temples with my fingers.

"Who do you have to kill to get brine and pickles?"

- Um... Why do you need them? - the non-drinking filly looked with some degree of surprise and skepticism at what was once the Royal Guard.

"look, if a sick person asks, can you at least answer whether it exists or not?

"Yes, yes, let's go.".

"Yeah", I nodded, wincing and standing up to my full height.

Treatment with brine, for which I was grateful to my Russian colleagues, saved the situation as always, and after twenty minutes I felt a gradual victory of reason over the headache. Deciding that it was time for others to suffer, I went to wake up Big Mac. Few people have seen such a plaintive mine on the face of an adult stallion, therefore, out of a sense of male solidarityI asked Applejack to wait in his room while he poured cold water and brine over the dying hungover pony. By the time Applejack returned, she looked as usual.

"Ahhh, come on? Does she even walk like that at home? Although, I agree, that suits her too."

"I'm home! There was a cheerful voice from Apple Bloom from the entrance. The pony, cheerfully galloping into the kitchen, jumped joyfully at the sight of me.

"Wow, Des has arrived!" You promised to attend a meeting of Marksmen in order to become an honorary member of the community!

"How long do I need to explain to you that I'll never have a tag? I laughed, sitting the foal on my knees and patting the mane.

"But you've already said that you've tried to do a lot of things in your life, so what if you help us find cutemarks?

"I promise I'll join the Markfinders this month when I take a break from...With one condition.

- Yes? Which one?

"Ask Sweety Bell not to empty her sister's fabric stores by trying to sew me your signature raincoat, I'll make do with mine, okay?

- Sighted. The foal joyfully poked her hoof into her outstretched fist. - By the way. What kind of smell? What is this, cider? She looked at Big Mac and me in surprise, and it was clear who still smelled of alcohol.

- Umm... Something like that.

- Yes! Applejack scratched the back of her head. - About that. You see, sis, we're just...

The nearest apple in the basket turned out to be a truly effective method against talkative ponies, it was worth remembering, and no special skill is required.

"I'm on my way out, I stopped by for a while.". I lied soulfully and with a sincere face. - Applejack will show me off, and Big Mac will take a cold shower for now. YES, MAC?

Nodding hastily, he rushed towards the shower, and we rushed to the exit.About a hundred meters later we stopped and headed towards the main gate, laughingly imagining the face of a foal after such a rapid escape of the whole company.

"Well, that was not bad", I laughed, holding my hands clasped behind my back - I have a bad habit, if I walk while talking to a pony, I can pet them behind my ear. Of course, not everyone engages such a reflex, but it is better to either lean on a staff or walk in this way, perplexing the pony with this uncomfortable position and gait.

"Yes, I hope you'll be visiting or helping with farm work. Is that right? She paused, looking at me.

- Sure. My status as an elite Guardian allows me not to be mired in some kind of work for the entire time, I am rather a free worker, I am not paid from the treasury if I do not do the tasks of the princesses. "I wouldn't accept that kind of money; it wasn't enough to still be a dependent." - So, I'll see you again. I slammed my fist on the outstretched hoof, which had already become a kind of rule for greeting and saying goodbye to a person and any resident of Ponyville, after which I went towards the library, throwing my cloak over my back.

Chapter 6.4 Let's add some gossip and past?

This is our new product, haunou! Maybe know-how? No, haunow. Well, exactly, complete haunou...

"Rarity, that's not necessary! Ouch!

- Don't move. Consider this my whim and desire to make money.

- Free to patch and sew custom clothes?

- Hands to the sides. Yes. Imagine how many clients will show up at my boutique if ponies from Canterlot are already arriving, having heard a lot about who made clothes for the only Royal Night Guard who made such a splash by bursting into a regular meeting and standing next to Princess Luna as a bodyguard. Believe me, the suit you were wearing also played a significant role. This means why you needed black, you already knew that you would be appointed the official chief guard of the Princess of the Night and the future captain of the Night Guard.

The conversation took place in Rarity's boutique, where she literally shoved me, catching me on the street a couple of days after the "competition" with Big Mac.At the moment I was pretending to be a mannequin in which Rarity was trying on some sketches. Her younger sister was hanging around nearby, sometimes making sarcastic comments and getting confused under the fashion designer's feet. However, the last phrase about the future captain made me put my hands down, thereby driving into my side the needle that the unicorn had pinned to my clothes. Howling briefly in surprise, I pulled out the needle and looked at the pony.

"The future captain of the Night Guard?"

"Well, yes. A few days ago.

"While I was so comfortably lying in a coffin."

-.. princess Luna announced that a small group of Night Guardians would be created from those guards who would like to perform individual tasks. Before her exile, each princess had some kind of elite acting on her behalf and having great powers.The Day and Night Guardians were not considered part of the regular guards and soldiers. But after the expulsion of Luna, Celestia disbanded both units and never spoke of Day or Night Guardians.

"And here's what's strange...

Rarity thoughtfully scratched her chin with the edge of her hoof.

At first, Princess Luna claimed that she would disband the rank of Royal Night Guard. I heard rumors that at the end of the announcement she quietly told Princess Celestia that there was unlikely to be a worthy contender for this place. But then, when you were back in Ponyville, she changed her mind dramatically, finally confirming you as the Royal Night Guard and future Captain of the Night Guard. As Twilight told us, it will take time to create a detachment, and its main task will be to deepen research expeditions into the Eternal Forest. She says,that the forest keeps too many secrets and Princess Luna decided to deal with some of the problems that arise there from time to time.

"Your mother!" I howled to myself, remaining outwardly motionless so as not to interfere with the unicorn's work. "So they seriously decided to send the guards into the forest, and even under my responsibility? This won't happen. Let them sit in the castle and look after the night sky or changelings, and not stick their short noses where hunters are needed, not warriors."

"You see, after the assignment, there was no time to get interested in gossip and fashion, maybe you could share some information?

You're unlikely to be interested in fashion. Rarity laughed as she looked through the notes and filmed a sketch of the costume from me using telekinesis. Left in spacious dark blue pants and a T-shirt made by her, I sat down on the floor and happily stretched out my buzzing legs.

- Incidentally,you infected most of the youth of Canterlot, they started ordering something like your costume from all the studios in the city, someone even tried to copy your guard sign.

Rarity looked thoughtfully at the ceiling.

The guards, however, earnestly asked not to do so, since there was only one such sign for Equestria.

"Do you remember what the Royal Day and Night Guards looked like at that time?

- Of course. Every worthy fashion designer must know the history of fashion.

Leaving me alone with my younger sister, she went upstairs to buy a book. At this time, the restless foal was enthusiastically scribbling something in a notebook, distracted by some calculations in her mind, after which she continued to scribble like crazy.

- Ah-ah-apchhi! Announced to me that Rarity had found an old book. Having levitated it into my hands, she returned to her sketcheswhile I glanced at the table of contents.

"isn't it, isn't it, hmm, a photo of princesses at some party?

Opening the book on the desired village, I looked at the image of Princess Celestia and the Moon. Unfortunately, it was black and white, but even here one could notice that the princess's mane was plain, and she herself had not changed at all. The moon looked smaller and lighter, but, apparently, princesses were depicted here before the outbreak of the uprising and war, the moon was not at all like Nightmer Moon, they looked happy.

"I wonder how happy ancient alicorn can be..."

Turning the page, I came across a drawing of the last Royal Day Guardian. A white or light unicorn stallion with a long light mane stood in front of the sisters' throne, dressed in gold-colored armor decorated with sun stonesjudging by the description of the armor under the image. Looking closely, I noticed the sign of the guard - Celestia's spear against the background of the sun.

"I don't understand... Did he wield Celestia's spear, or should the sign depict the weapon of the diarch?'

Turning the page, I looked at the last Royal Night Watch. The black pegasus stallion, with the same long mane as his colleague, was dressed in elaborate silver armor. His sign showed a spear with a crescent-shaped point against the background of a clear full moon. Turning the page back, I looked at the Day Captain again. Something very familiar slipped into his appearance. Glancing at the captain's name, I dropped the book from my weakened hands.

Mistspier. Distant ancestor of the two unicorns I met in the palace. It was clear why his descendant was a captain - judging by the stories of the princessesthe current Mistspier was proficient in martial magic, including spells considered a personal invention of the last Guard - the Fog Spear, which more than once helped in the battles of old times. The sister of the current captain of the common guards wielded a second spell, the Mist Healing, which was used by their ancestor to heal all the warriors on the battlefield. Of course, she was still young to cover a large area with fog, but what her years.

Angry at myself for not really getting into the details, I picked up the book, looking at the Night Captain. What secrets did he hide, and are there any descendants of him among the inhabitants of Equestria?

"Darclight..."

"Is something wrong? Rarity asked, looking up from work and coming up to me.

"No, nothing special." Putting the book aside, I looked at the unicorn.

"So, what did you think?

- Three suits,which can be used to go out into the world. I wanted it to look like the pretentious armor of past Guards, but we never made armor for minotaurs and, of course, people. Therefore, I tried to make the clothes somewhat resemble both armor and a suit, but this did not work out everywhere.

- Great. I winked at the fashion designer. - Let's look at the sketches, then discuss the details.

Having pulled out the first sketch from the folder, she handed it to me, after which she walked to the table, looking in my direction. Well, here I was depicted against the background of some social reception, dressed in something like an old jacket with coats, under it there was a white shirt and white trousers. Apparently, small sapphires acted as buttons for the shirt and jacket, which differed in shape from each other. The shoes and jacket were silverthe jacket itself was decorated with black embroidery around a guard sign pinned to the chest, in the hand there was a white hat with wide brims, which my double casually held with his middle and index fingers. With his other hand he held a black staff, on which he leaned slightly. The hair was loose and carelessly thrown back.

I have to admit, this suit was damn good, I clearly should have thought of clothes of a less dark color if I ever wanted and could appear in public with my loved ones as their "stallion" rather than bodyguard and Guard Luna. Plus, the light colors will certainly reduce the wariness that arises between some residents of Ponyville, despite the fact that I have known them for a long time.

Raising my thumb up, I put the sheet aside, waiting for the next drawing.

The second sheet showed me next to Princess Lunadressed in pseudo-leather armor, painted in the colors of her fur. Rarity didn't quite understand the essence of the form of armor for a person, which was not surprising - we never discussed this topic, and the armor of minotaurs was distinguished by a minimum number of armor elements, which was not suitable for me. The armor consisted of dense intertwined bands of pseudo-skin running from the shoulders to the abdomen and descending from there to the knees, the sides and thigh were not covered with "armor" to increase mobility. Such armor could protect against hand-to-hand attack or a weak blow from a Timberwolf's paw, but the wearer, apparently, should have hoped for speed. I did just that during the hunt, but since this outfit was also supposed to serve as a captain's costume, I rejected this option, shaking my head.

A little upset, Rarity levitated the third sketch for methen she turned to the table, pretending to be busy with another outfit, from time to time casting worried glances in my direction.

Taking the third drawing, I whistled in amazement Apparently, our fashion designer tortured Twilight for a long time on the theme of costumes of my time, after which her imagination gave birth to something new for this world. There were two drawings on the sheet. On one, I was wearing what looked like a white pseudo-leather sleeveless vest adjacent to my body and tight-fitting dark blue pants that widened slightly towards the bottom. Impressive boots of the same color were lined with metal inserts. Judging by the individual comments of the unicorn left under the drawing, they increased the weight of the shoes and caused the effect of clattering hooves when moving on hard surfaces.

The pants were belted with a blue belt, with an elegant shard of dark stone on the clasp.Taking a closer look at the inscription at the belt, I raised my eyebrow in surprise - the belt clasp contained obsidian, a material that is much rare for Ponyville, and in other towns it is hardly so easy to get it, it's worth remembering how much the obsidian blade cost me. After putting a note to myself asking Rarity where she got her obsidian from, I looked at the following belt mark - it should have been used over the cape if she was wearing it. And the cape was clearly worth some praise.

It was more likely not a cape, but something like a robe of a bright blue color, tightly fitting the body above the waist and freely running below, allowing, if necessary, even to run in this suit. There was also a hood to completely hide the face. The floors of the robe, the edges of the hood and the wide sleeves were decorated with a pattern of dark flames rising from bottom to top.The sign of the guard was pinned to the chest, on a silver circle representing the full moon.

The robe itself did not have buttons; it would not have been possible to quickly remove the outerwear, which is why Rarity equipped it with wide sleeves and a free bottom, allowing you to fight in it as a last resort.

"Fuck you!" I finally expressed my opinion, unwittingly copying Rainbow Dash.

Rarity, if you were making costumes for our officers, everyone would rush in there just to try something like that on!

The embarrassed unicorn pierced the floor with its hooves and looked curiously at its drawing.

"I take it you liked the third option?

"Oh, yes!" I nodded hotly, already imagining what I would look like at the official reception. I feel I will clearly pinch off my share of respect and attention from the general attention of the alicorns.

"Just two questions..."

"Something you don't like? The unicorn askedtrying to hide my grief. - I'll change the suit if you wish.

"No way!" I wrapped my head. - This will be a crime against this world. Better tell me, where did you get the obsidian from, and why did you decide to add black flame?

Twilight advised me about the flames when I asked her about your clothes. She said you'd love it.

"As if I were looking into the water." I smiled at my thoughts. Indeed, who else could offer such an unusual style for ponies with fire, if they themselves preferred something more natural, although one could argue with that.

"I picked up obsidian in a volcano where we were saving Spike from his relatives.

"For what?" I scratched the back of my head, not imagining what could threaten the dragon in the pack of his own relatives.

"dragons seem to be intelligent creatures, even if they are intractable.".

Waving his hoof,the unicorn sighed.

- Teens. Believe me, they are the same everywhere.

Judging by the fact that she decided not to go into details, she did not like this topic, so I quickly directed the conversation in a different direction.

"I'd go for a third suit. However, I want to order myself a suit from the first drawing, but for myself. How much will it cost, Rarity?

The fashion designer angrily stamped his hoof on the floor, after which he looked into my eyes with the same expression on his face.

"Des, are you my friend?"

"Yes, but..." I said, already estimating the nearest shelter.

"Do they charge friends?

"No, but..." I tried to explain that it was still a costly job - like hitting a wall with peas.

"Don't insult me with this behavior!" And by the way, the suit for the captain is paid for from the treasury. And you will receive it only after the Night Guard is formed"i gladly inserted a pony hairpin, apparently taking revenge on me for talking about money.

"And the first one?" I need him to go out!

"for once, the stallion thought of having a decent suit!

The fashion designer jerked, already opening the closet and looking thoughtfully at the rolls of fabric. After solving something for herself, she pulled out several rolls of silvery material resembling silk and set them aside.

"should I remind you how much effort it took to persuade you to accept casual clothes? At first you only had two black suits for your work in the forest. I agree, they are quite good, but when you appeared in this form on the streets of the city, many were still nervous when you approached.

She put her hoof to her forehead in frustrated feelings.

"Oh, Celestia, how much time I spent meeting Zecora and passing the usual clothes through her.By the way, it's not so easy to sew clothes for a new species of creature, it's good that I wrote down all the measurements as I knew!

"all right, all right, I give up", I raised my hands conciliatoryly.

"The pants, T-shirts and shirts were of excellent quality and nice colors for me, for that I am grateful. But sooner or later I will need a suit to go out.

Rarity looked at me VERY cunningly, after which she turned to the sewing machine.

"Well, of course you need a suit.". I wonder what her name is or their name?

"What are you talking about?" I raised my eyebrow in surprise, forgetting that my interlocutor wasn't looking at me.

"No, no, nothing." In general, I took all the measurements that were necessary, so have a good day.

Without looking up from work, she waved her hoof at me and giggled. Her sister walked me to the exit and, winking goodbye, closed the door, leaving me in some stupor."What was that all about now?" I asked a question to nowhere, looking at the door of the boutique.

Chapter 6.5 Leaf fall

It's never too late to learn, unless you have a parachute problem.

Apparently, all three princesses decided to leave me to rest with Twilight for a month, if not more, after first conspiring with Zecora, how else could her permission to interrupt her studies and hunting be explained?

Autumn was coming into its own, the pegasus were busy collecting rain clouds, all the other ponies were preparing for the rainy season and the Leaf Run. When I learned that trees needed help shedding leaves, I came to the disappointing conclusion that the nature of this world was completely crazy! That is, you can understand that the pegasus carried clouds - it was the subordination of rains and weather to the desired schedule, allowing them to harvest rich harvests, but shake off the leaves? However, the fact of the race itself seemed to me very interesting and worthy of observation. And considering what Rainbow Dash and Applejack did at the last race, I just had to look at it.Glory to the Supreme, they have not argued in recent days, so the race promised to be fair and the spectacle to be exciting. The restless, rainbow-maned pegasus encouraged me to participate in the race, not paying attention to the desperate attempts to explain to her that for a person to compete with a pony in running is like competing in flights with an earthly pony with a pegasus. In the end, I was forced to constantly look at the sky while walking in order to have time to notice the pegasus and go to hell before it noticed me. Realizing that it would not be possible to find me in this way, she began to walk, taking advantage of the fact that I was watching the sky. Of course, sooner or later, she was doomed to success. Like today.

- Hi!

- Damn! Bouncing in surprise, I almost took down a shopping-laden pony walking past me.

- Rainbow Dash!Since when did you adopt Pinky's habit of sneaking up on her interlocutor?

The cheerfully smiling pegasus jokingly poked my hoof in my chest, rising above the ground for this.

'Since you refuse to run with us!

"With us?"

"well, yes, Applejack is also in the marathon, and we're both wondering how fast people can run.

Having prescribed a facepalm, I slowly ran my palm across my face.

- Dash! People. Not. They can. Overtake. Pony! At least in our world for sure!

"But you haven't tried it!

Having refrained from the second facepalm, I carefully picked up the pegasus and threw it into the air, clearing a land route for myself, after which I tried to continue moving to the market, but the racer hanging in front of me in the air clearly tested my nerves.

"look, did you bet Applejack if I was going to race or not?

- Uh... Yes. But that's not the point!I need to know how fast people can run!

"Slower than you, Dash!" I couldn't stand it "If you want, we can go for a run right now so you can calm down already, plus I've never trained in running at all!

"How is it?" the surprised pegasus descended "from heaven to earth", tilting her head to one side in disbelief. For creatures that move on four limbs and have a horse at the heart of their species, running was closer than for humans, and they were better built for this. However, we should not forget that everything here is tied to magic, and the ponies themselves, being intelligent creatures, have not cut across the steppes for as long as the horses of my world. This thought prompted me to one option. After examining it this way and that, I decided to try it - what the hell is not joking?

"All right, I give up.". Sign me up as a participantbut my running is unlikely to cause leaves to fall, as was intended when creating the race.

"It's okay, the forest will survive this somehow.". Ye-hoo! Pegasus did a somersault in the air, after which she extended her hoof, which I lightly punched.

- Sighted.

***

The next day I went to the "track" along which the Race took place in order to get acquainted with the route - unlike most runners, I had never been here. I was accompanied by Twilight and Spike, who was busy figuring out how to commentate on the next match. The leaves of the trees were already painted scarlet and yellow, but the weather was warm, the sun was still shining just as warm, why would the leaves change their color? Having attributed everything to magic, I threw this thought out of my head.

"How do you like the view?" asked the alicorn, looking around enthusiastically, now getting ahead of herself, now lagging behind me.

"Just like on Earth." True, the leaves fall there on their own, and therefore you can admire the autumn colors and walk on a carpet of fallen leaves.

"Aren't you homesick?" Twilight asked quietly, waiting,for now, Spike will overtake us and move a few meters ahead.

"you know, not one bit", I gently patted her on the mane, running the ball of my finger over her ear.

"I'm already here... Let me think... You found me in late spring... Summer, then one month of autumn... You can say four or five months, but I only remember the house when I compare something similar. My world has changed a lot over the past hundred years from what I have read in the books of history. Don't forget that I don't remember how I ended up here. Only the airport where we landed, that's all.

- Airport?

"I've already told you where the planes take off and land from.

- Yeah. So if you had a chance to come back, you wouldn't take it?

"And leave you here?" Well, no, really.

The dragon's dissatisfied voice interrupted our conversation."how long will it take you to trudge like turtles?"

"Let's go, let's go", we laughed, continuing to look at the surrounding landscape.

***

There were a couple of days left before the start of the race, which I devoted to training, so as not to fall too low in the eyes of the residents of Ponyville - how could I imagine the whole species! So what if it exists in one copy. Having plowed the entire route up and down, I came to the disappointing conclusion that I would not see any prizes - for the most part the road was straight, sometimes diving into the pleasant shadow of the forest, but for the most part running between slender rows of trees.

Having run all the way from start to finish, I was forced to admit that I was still in shape. The problem is that this "form" can hardly compete with ponies. With such thoughts, I returned on the way back, closing my eyes and singing to myself some song about cleaning up the winter - some songs of this world, inspired by magic, turned out to be very sticky, and every now and then they asked for the tongue. However,Lyra promised to sing me a couple of new ones to diversify my collection.

When I returned to the library, the sun was turning towards the horizon, and I was towards the floor under the weight of bags of food and light sportswear that I ordered yesterday. Still, Rarity sews amazingly, combining quality and speed. The library was empty - Twilight and Spike seemed to go to another party hosted by Pinky Pie. I could hardly remember what the party was about, but I didn't want to go to it - what's the point of gorging myself on cupcakes if tomorrow I have to try not to disgrace myself so much in front of the whole city? After throwing food around the lockers in the small kitchen, I pulled out a tracksuit consisting of a gray jacket and pants. While I was changing clothes, an owl flew into the room and sat on the usual perch.

"Ah, hi, Alouvicious." How's the hunt?

Wow, big... hmm, owl?..he flew over on his shoulder, making himself comfortable and looking at us in the mirror.

"You know, you look too funny to create an oppressive setting, even if I wasn't wearing a tracksuit.". And anyway, remind me to pay Rarity after I sell the trophies.

- Hu?

"Ah, never mind."

Carefully removing the princess's funny assistant from my shoulder, I changed into my pants and T-shirt. As a guy, I didn't approve of a lot of clothes, but I have to admit that sometimes minimalism is bad and you need someone like Rarity, with her style and generosity. It's a shame to say that at first all my clothes consisted of a set of black clothes for hunting in the forest, of course, the inhabitants of Ponyville shied away from me, even after I became familiar on the streets of the town. However, even now in this small town there are ponies who call me a monkey behind my back.By the way, the presence of monkeys in this world slightly offended me. After all, it could turn out that even here there is a possibility of human existence. Glory to the Supreme, there is zero chance of this.

While I was engaged in similar discussions, already on the second floor of the library, the front door of the building slammed, notifying about the arrival of the princess. One could easily understand that this was Twilight, without even resorting to communication between us, since a second after the sound of the closed door, a loud "I'm home!" was heard. And a minute later, a charming lavender miracle flew into the bedroom and jumped onto my bed with a satisfied squeal, spreading its wings and legs. Catching usually a slightly more serious alicorn would not be difficult. Of course, she was clearly aiming to land right on me.

"hi, love, I miss you.". Hugging the satisfied Twilight, he carefully smoothed his tousled mane."What's the reason for the joy?"

"When we were at the party, a letter arrived from Princess Celestia. She officially appointed me as the chief judge of the Race and I will present the awards! Yay! One could guess with what enthusiasm she would stand at the finish line tomorrow, satisfied with the task entrusted to her.

"I thought you'd be in the race and run...

"Stop, why did you ask me to take that route? But you didn't want to participate!

"Tell it to your irrepressible friend", I responded, putting the alicorn next to me and burying my face in her neck, which made my voice sound a little muffled.

"What, did Dash get you?"

- Oooh, yeah. This pegasus had an awl in. Anyway, she can't wait to make sure she and Applejack overtake me.

- Well... People have a different structure, different from us. I mean, I don't want to say,what are you worse, but ponies are inherently designed for running, even though we have fallen behind horses in many hundreds of years.

"Stop," I interrupted Twilight, raising my head.

"Do you have horses?"

Alicorn shuddered, apparently remembering something, after which she got out of bed and quickly went down to the first floor. Oddly enough, she returned quite quickly, levitating a large volume that she had placed on the bed in front of me, after which she lay down on the right, turning the pages.

"Creatures of this world", I managed to read, before Twilight plunged into search, muttering the titles of the chapters.

- Griffins, dragons, parasprites, minotaurs... Not this, not that, not that... Zebras, zebra tribes... Also not the same... Oh, here. Other.

Poking her hoof at a picture with the caption "wild horses," she read out an excerpt from the book.

- Wild horses, or "empty ancestors", are creatures,inhabiting remote corners of our planet. In their structure they resemble earthly ponies, but are much taller and stronger than them. Despite their similarities with other races, ponies do not have magic or intelligence, and are also not distinguished by a variety of colors. Many scientists believe that at the beginning of the creation of the world, these creatures were unable to accept magic, so their minds never arose. Other researchers believe that wild horses initially had nothing to do with ponies.

Breaking away from reading, alicorn annoyingly slammed her hoof on the page.

"and when I asked the princesses about them, they both said they had never been interested in their story. That is, I understand that our world is great, but I can't believe that Princess Luna or Princess Celestia didn't try to understand what kind of creatures they were.

"do you still call them" princesses? Even the Moon?

- Well... Yes to my teacher.Where do I care about Princess Celestia?

Closing the volume, I turned over on my back and sighed heavily. Sometimes Twilight amazed with her love of tradition, spitting Applejack.

"Will you call Luna a princess in bed too?"

The rapidly reddening alicorn moved her hoof across the bed, trying to give at least some answer, but so far to no avail. Finally, staring at me furtively, she muttered quietly.

- W-well... No... Well, you will still be with us separately...

"I won't think about it.". I smiled slyly, stretching and pressing the crimson Twilight to me after my words. - And I won't think so. At the first opportunity, the three of us will lock us up...

"Will you call Luna a princess in bed too?"

The rapidly reddening alicorn moved her hoof across the bed, trying to give at least some answer, but so far to no avail. Finally, staring at me furtively, she muttered quietly.

- W-well... No... Well, you will still be with us separately...

"I won't think about it.". I smiled slyly, stretching and pressing the crimson Twilight to me after my words. - And I won't think so. At the first opportunity, the three of us will lock us up...

"Will you call Luna a princess in bed too?"

The rapidly reddening alicorn moved her hoof across the bed, trying to give at least some answer, but so far to no avail. Finally, staring at me furtively, she muttered quietly.

- W-well... No... Well, you will still be with us separately...

"I won't think about it.". I smiled slyly, stretching and pressing the crimson Twilight to me after my words. - And I won't think so. At the first opportunity, the three of us will lock us up...

At the first opportunity, the three of us will lock us up...

***

"Dear people of Ponyville! We are pleased to welcome you to the annual Leaf Race!

Spike's voice pierced the morning air, making me jump on the spot in surprise - apparently the dragon again decided to commentate on the race with Pinkie Pie, just like last year. They say that on that race, adequate and mostly informative news about events along the route was heard for the first time from the Twilight ball. By the way, he even changed the greeting, remembering that there was now a man in Ponyville.

"I'm with you, your commentator Spike and Pinky Pie!

"Hello, everyone!

Most of the participants did not pay attention to this, everyone was busy with the final preparations. I double-checked the shoe's lacing without listening to Rarity's mutterings that black didn't go with the suit - the fashion designer couldn't help but come to the race to see what her creation looked like.Personally, in my opinion, she should have stopped being so nervous every time I ordered clothes from her and went out of my way, but this did not negate my gratitude and the payment that I decided to forcefully impose, not paying attention to the indignation of the unicorn.

"This year's race will be overseen by Princess Twilight, who will present awards to the winners!

- Oh, yes! Twilight personally received a letter in front of me...

"Uh-uh, so, the participants go to the start line!" - Spike tried to save the situation by turning the topic of conversation to the side so that the pink something would not blurt out something wrong.

After his words, a large group of ponies moved to the start, I was behind the entire crowd - I had no idea of standing in front, despite the desperate gestures of Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"I should point out, Pinky, we have an unusual member this year!

- Who? Will cows run from the pony? No,minotaur? Or Princess Celestia?

- Uh-uh, no. Apparently, Spike understood what he was getting into, since he still retained his sanity. It was clearly not easy, because at the moment Pinky Pie had already gone through all sorts of options, stubbornly not remembering me. There were even basilisks and parasprites on her list, which left me perplexed when I tried to imagine a running parasprite. It turned out badly, but I wasn't the only one - half of the audience was so hung over the same thought, judging by the appearance of the second half of the audience, they could not ward off the image of a running basilisk. It should be noted that in this world they looked absurd and creepy because of their absurdity, although I have never met anyone in person.

A loud trill drowned out Pinky Pie, causing everyone to look back at the alicorn girl, who in turn stared sternly at the two commentators in her balloon.Next to her sat a gloomy green bird, whose voice was amplified with magic, apparently this is not the first time she has fallen under Twilight magic.

Having already forgotten how the dialogue began, the dragon courageously continued the report.

At this time, a unicorn unfamiliar to me raised a pistol into the air.

- Participants! To the start! Attention! March!

At the first moment I almost suffocated from a cloud of dust raised by the ponies rushing forward. Having run out of there, I slowly ran along the route, not hoping to overtake the runners on this section of the track - most of the competitors rushed with all their might. Apparently, they were taught nothing last year, the events of which I read about from old newspapers, surprised to see the name Twilight in fifth place.

But it was worth slowing down at least in order to be able to watch the rain of leaves falling after the running pony.Such a spectacle was worth being in a dust cloud at the start. Of course, I wasn't walking at all, but I wasn't particularly tense when, after some time, I caught up with the first lagging runners. The young fillies (and among all the participants, of course, there were the most young people) were mostly scared when I overtook them, because behind the clatter of their hooves my steps could be called silent.

Apparently, these were completely inexperienced participants, since I had not caught up with anyone else yet. There was no desire to speed up - I didn't run even the third part of the way, which was clearly told to me by the landmarks that I set for myself while jogging along the same route.

A balloon slowly floated overhead, carried towards the launch by a strong wind.

"wow, shouldn't you be closer to the finish line? I shouted to the unlucky commentators.

"Ah, it happens."now the Pegasus will catch us and drag us out," Spike replied, having previously removed the "matyugalnik.".

"Oh, Des, great!" Pinky looked overboard, hanging dangerously down. At the last moment, she pulled back and waved to the four pegasus, who picked up the ropes he had thrown and dragged the ball into the wind. Shaking my head, I accelerated a little and began to look carefully around - a section of the path began, where part of the forest overlooked the road.

It was here that I was overtaken by two fillies, whom I overtook not far from the start. They smiled at me, slowly clicking their hooves, but for some reason this smile made me feel uneasy. It was then that they suddenly pulled out their hooves in unison, tripping them twice. Not expecting such a sneaky girl, I "kissed" the road. When I got up, they were no longer there.

"What the hell is this?.." I yelled, not hoping that I would be heard.I didn't even remember who it was, only the color of their fur is gray, but I'm not sure that I'll find these... ponies during the race.

"okay, there's time to recuperate before the finish line, so it's time to surprise the residents.

Yes, unlike people, ponies could run faster, but there was one ma-a-scarlet "but" - being taller than these intelligent creatures, I covered a greater distance in one step, and considering that most of the runners did not have the stamina of AJ or Dash, I'm afraid I'll have to teach them a little lesson.

Switching to full-fledged running without "tearing out the last veins," I confirmed my calculations, catching up with most of the runners on about half the route. Judging by their large (even larger than usual) eyebrows, they clearly did not expect me to overtake them. And when I started overtaking them, you could clearly hear the sound of falling jaws."Of course, you can't count on first place, but I won't lose face either." Leaving behind me the main crowd of fugitives and determining that there were three tenths of a way left to the finish, I allowed myself to relax again, as I noticed not far from me a group of three stallions, tiredly moving their legs, and a balloon hung overhead again.

"Dear viewers! Oddly enough, Des took a long lead, overtaking his underestimated opponents, and is now in sixth place, catching up with Firefly, Hammerhand and Lightflower! Rainbow Dash and Applejack are in first place, but it will take a miracle to overtake these fillies.

"That's for sure." I thought, looking intently at the increasing frequency of tags that were incomprehensible to the other participants. With the home stretch looming ahead and Pinky Pie announcing Applejack's first place, theit's time to pull on these presumptuous runners. Which, in principle, I did, rushing forward. It was more like small rapid jumps than running, but it was enough to confuse the remaining opponents.

Ten meters to the finish... Five... Suddenly, a thin rope, previously buried in the sand, rose from the dust of the road. Feeling the ground disappearing from under my feet, in despair I land on my arms outstretched and somersault forward, hitting my back on the ground. The air instantly comes out of my lungs, making me have difficulty breathing in. Opening my eyes, I meet the gaze of several ponies, including Twilight, trying to bring me to my senses.

"I'll rip my head off..." I muttered indistinctly, making the pony look at each other in bewilderment.

"to the one who pulled the rope at f..." the alicorn hoof covered my mouth, and she herself, laughing falsely,she said something about overexertion and asked me to shut up with her gaze.

Then there was an award ceremony, which, to be honest, I don't remember. Twilight hung a medal with third place around my neck, I received congratulations from friends, I shook someone's hoof... I finally came to my senses in the library, lounging in a chair and feeling my legs buzzing and my back hurting. Six inseparable friends were sitting on the floor in front of me, and Spike was dangling his feet on the bed.

"so, girls, what I'm about to say is very important; no one else should know about it. Twilight's voice sounded unusually stern to her, and she herself looked very gloomy.

"Someone helped Des win the competition, and someone tried to annoy him.

A general roar of surprise rang out in the library, making me wince at the noise - apparently I also hit my head hard."The day before the race started, some good runners fell ill with food poisoning - nothing special, but during the race itself, someone tried to incapacitate the other participants, and everything would have been fine, but now it's clear that this someone helped Des. By the way, all this turned out to be useless in the end; as you remember, he already correctly calculated his strength and came third. It is worth remembering that over long, exhausting distances a person will easily win against a pony, even against our winners.

When the proud pegasus tried to object, Twilight shook her head.

"No, Rainbow Dash, if the route was twice as long, your habit of taking off would lead to you falling to the finish line, even if you saved your strength and ran with him - I've already calculated all the options out of nothing to do. The longer the distance,the less chance the pony has of winning against him. Let's return to our problem. Spike told me that a pair of fillies who had fallen behind at the start appeared from the forest and knocked him down, disappearing into the forest at a small turn. Then the rope was stretched at the finish line, there were several more in the middle of the route, but there he ran with the rest of the participants, so it was pointless to activate them. I specifically sent two guards to check those areas while the award ceremony was going on.

In general, friends, we need to look around and report something to Princess Celestia or Princess Luna... Unusual. Okay?